10 am‡Prayers and acknowledgement of country° Documents
(Presented pursuant to order)° Clerk’s documents° Committees—authorisation to meet
Government business only

2 pm Questions
Motions to take note of answers
(Time limit: 30 mins)
Petitions
Notices of motion
Placing of business
Discovery of formal business
MPI or urgency motion
(Time limit: 1 hr, or if no motions to take note, 90 mins)° Consideration of documents tabled earlier in the day
(SO 61—Time limit: 30 mins)
Ministerial statements
Committee memberships
Messages from House of Representatives
Order of business

6.30 to 7.30 pm Sitting suspended— (DINNER BREAK)

7.30 pm Order of business continued

9.50 pm Adjournment proposed
(Time limit: 40 mins)

12.30 pm Prayers and acknowledgement of country° Documents
(Presented pursuant to order)° Clerk’s documents° Committees—authorisation to meet
Government business only

2 pm Questions
Motions to take note of answers
(Time limit: 30 mins)
Petitions
Notices of motion
Placing of business
Discovery of formal business
MPI or urgency motion
(SO 75—Time limit: 1 hr, or if no motions to take note, 90 mins)° Consideration of documents tabled earlier in the day
(SO 61—Time limit: 30 mins)° Tabling and consideration of committee reports
(SO 62(4)—Time limit: 1 hr)
Ministerial statements
Committee memberships
Messages from House of Representatives
Order of business

7.20 pm° Adjournment proposed
(Time limit: 2 hrs 10 mins)

9.30 am Prayers and acknowledgement of country
Documents
(Presented pursuant to order)° Clerk’s documents° Committees—authorisation to meet
Government business only

2 pm Questions
Motions to take note of answers
(Time limit: 30 mins)
Petitions
Notices of motion
Placing of business
Discovery of formal business
MPI or urgency motion
(SO 75—Time limit: 1 hr, or if no motions to take note, 90 mins)° Consideration of documents tabled earlier in the day
(SO 61—Time limit: 30 mins)
Tabling and consideration of committee reports
(SO 62(4)—Time limit: 1 hr)
Ministerial statements
Committee memberships
Messages from House of Representatives
Order of business

7.20 pm Adjournment proposed
(Time limit: 40 mins)

9.30 am Prayers and acknowledgement of country° Clerk’s documents° Committees—authorisation to meet
‡ General business, orders of the day for consideration of bills
(SO 57(1)—Time limit: 2 hrs and 20 mins)
Petitions
Notices of motion
Placing of business
Discovery of formal business
Committee memberships
Messages from House of Representatives
Order of business

Not laterthan 4.30 pmGeneral business
(Notices of motion andorders of the day)

Not later than 6 pmGeneral business, cont.
(SO 61(3)—Consideration of documents. Time limit:1 hr)

Not later than 7 pm Consideration of committee reports and government responses and Auditor- General’s reports
(SO 62—Time limit: 1 hr)

8 pm° Adjournment proposed
(No time limit)

General Times

Times of meetings of the Senate

Monday 10 am‡ to 6.30 pm, 7.30 pm to 10.30 pm

Tuesday📣 12.30 pm to 9.30 pm°

Wednesday📣 9.30 am to 8 pm

Thursday 9.30 am to adjournment°

Closing times

Documents—need to be received by the sub Table Office no later than 5 pm of the working day before the document is to be tabled.

Extensions of time for a committee to report (routine)—the form, signed by the chair of the committee, is to be lodged by hand with the sub Table Office by 3 pm on a sitting Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday and by 11 am on a sitting Thursday.

Notifications authorising committees to meet during the sitting of the Senate—the form, signed by the chair of the committee, is to be lodged by hand with the sub Table Office no later than 30 mins prior to that sitting day commencing.

9.30 am on a day on which the Senate sits at 12.30 pm; and
5 pm of the working day prior to the Senate sitting at 9.30 am and 10 am‡.

Questions on notice (see: Brief Guide No. 6 – Questions)—must be lodged with the Table Office no later than 5 pm on sitting days, and in non-sitting weeks by 2 pm on the Wednesday before the next day of sitting, to be registered in the next Notice Paper.

‡ Temporary order agreed to 22 November 2010 upon adoption of recommendation in the Procedure Committee’s 4th report of 2010; continuation agreed to 12 May 2011, 24 November 2011, 27 June 2012 upon adoption of recommendation in the Procedure Committee’s 1st report of 2012, 6 February 2013, 14 November 2013, and 24 June 2014 (amended).

° Temporary order agreed to 24 September 2014 upon adoption of recommendation in the Procedure Committee’s 2nd and 3rd reports of 2014.